While, I’m not a big fan of mayo or mustard, I did take the idea of making a mix with Tuna and putting them down the middle of Romaine Lettuce Leaves. The mix is easy and the kids often help me make it. All you’ll need is salsa and a good quality tuna (My favorite is Wild Planet Tuna. It’s a bit pricier but oh so good!) I typically buy the salsa in the deli area. It seems to be fresher and has less additives.

All you do is put your tuna in a bowl and add a spoonful or two of salsa and mix together. You can also add a scoop of pickle relish, but it can tend to make it taste saltier. After it’s mixed, just add some of the mix down the middle of a Romaine lettuce leaf. You just fold in the sides and eat like any other lettuce wrap. It might be a little juicy so you might want to let it drip a second before you take a bite. The kids love these but they prefer theirs unwrapped and they call them “tuna boats.” (to which I say, whatever gets them to eat them, right?!) You could top with some cut-up olives for more color.

They are super quick to make and if you buy the right salsa, they can be fairly healthy. We usually just add a side of fruit and we are good to go for lunch.

You can take any leftover Romaine lettuce leaves and chop them up and store them in a Produce Saver so you’ll have salad ready to go for another meal.

Finding ways to use foods in various dishes throughout the week is another way to help you save money. So off and on, I’ll be highlighting in a “Cooking With…” posting on some foods I buy and how I use them and find time to squeeze them into my weekly routine.

I’ve found that for their cost, eggs can be a great way to stretch your budget a little farther. A dozen eggs can range in price from $1.50 – $4, depending on the brand and type you choose, with Organic eggs costing on the high-end. Ever since the first time I bought a dozen eggs at a farmer’s market, I’ve been completely hooked. While getting eggs directly from a farmer may increase the cost, to me, the taste is well worth the extra fee. I’m actually getting anxious for our farmer’s markets to open here in the next month or so for that very reason.

You can find all sorts of information on nutrition and recipes on the “Incredible Edible Egg” site. A great thing about eggs is that they are high in protein. One of my favorite ways to use them is as hard-boiled eggs. Here are a few ways I squeeze them in throughout the week:

Egg Smiley Snacks – Once I started making these, the kids ask for them all the time now. You simply cut a peeled hard-boiled egg in half for the eyes and then pick other items for the nose and mouth. In this example, I used a strawberry and blueberries. My daughter will actually choose this over chips several times. It’s OK to make food look cute if it gets them to eat it! 🙂

Salad Toppers – Sliced up hard-boiled eggs are a great addition to a blah salad.

Egg Salad Sandwiches – I was so happy when I found this Healthier Egg Salad Sandwich Recipe as a big reason I wouldn’t make this before was due to all the mayo. That recipe uses Greek yogurt instead, with just a touch of mayo for flavoring. I skip the food processor step and just use an OXO Good Grips Masher. My kids love helping to make the sandwiches. We now refer to the dill as “pickle powder” and somehow, that makes the sandwiches more edible. (kids!)

Here’s a great way to sneak these into your week as far as cooking time:

Before you go to wash your dishes, put a pot of eggs on to boil. (If you aren’t sure how to make them, I love this Hard-Boiled Egg Recipe. Works perfect for me.) By the time you are done with your regular dishes, the eggs should be done. You can then drain the pan, cool them and then store the eggs in a container in the fridge and then wash up the pan once it’s cooled. You are now set with some hard-boiled eggs for the week. I usually boil 6-7 at a time and then break it up like this: 2-3 eggs for smiley snacks, 1 egg for salad toppers and 3 eggs for sandwiches.

I’ve found this to be a great way to sneak in some snacks and a lunch and it really doesn’t take up any extra time. I often have dishes that don’t fit in our dishwasher and I just boil the eggs during the time that I’m washing those.

There are other ways to use hard-boiled eggs, such as deviled eggs, etc. With Easter coming up, I thought it would be a great time for everyone to share some ideas on how they use their hard-boiled eggs! Remember that you can keep your egg shells for gardening, too.

With Easter right around the corner and BBQ season coming up soon, I thought that I’d share a recipe that has become a favorite in our family. While the base of the recipe of the veggies is healthy, the condiments that are added make this recipe definitely not so healthy. You can opt for some fat-free versions of the items to make it a little better. I’ve been wanting to substitute Greek yogurt for some of them but I haven’t tried it yet to get the right blend. When I do, I’ll update the recipe.

If you are lucky, you might be able to find the purple and orange cauliflower to make it more festive for Easter but regular cauliflower works just as well.

What You’ll Need:

~Cauliflower – How much you use depends on its size. Overall, a little less than one average size cauliflower. I used parts of two colored ones. You might be better off starting with less and adding more if you need it.
~1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing/Dip
~3 oz. of Cream Cheese, softened (a little less than half a box)
~1 cup (8 oz.) of Sour Cream
~1 cup (8 oz.) of Mayo
~Cucumber – cut into smaller cubes – I only used 1/2 for mine
~Radishes – cut into slices – I used about 4 – 6. Adds some color
~Green onions (optional) – chopped small- Adds a little flavor

The fun part begins–wash and cut up all your veggies! Now, if you are going to make your salad for much later in the day, I wouldn’t add your cucumbers and radishes to the dish just yet. Cut them up ahead of time and keep them separate. Add them maybe an hour before so they get mixed in. The reason for this is that their water content might make your salad a little watery if added too early.

You’ll need to mix the mayo, softened cream cheese, sour cream and ranch dip in a separate bowl to blend. Just add them to your veggies and you’ll get something like this:

This is one of those salads that should be chilled for awhile before serving so it blends well. If it’s a little thicker, you might be able to add some more sour cream/mayo to blend it out more. If it’s a little watery, add some extra cauliflower, if you have it. Sometimes I have to do that, other times it’s perfect. Don’t forget to add your cucumbers/radishes if you’ve left them out.

Now….what do you do with that leftover cauliflower, if you have it? I used two heads so I could get a mix of purple and orange cauliflower. I saved some for salad toppings for the week and the rest, I blanched in bowling water for about 3 minutes, cooled in cold water and then froze for a side dish for later:

This is one way to make sure that you don’t waste any food. If this isn’t something you are bringing to a party but for your own party, just put your extra cauliflower on a veggie platter, if you have one.

I hope that you end up enjoying this cauliflower salad recipe if you try it. My family makes this every year at Thanksgiving. One of our traditions!

Earlier in the week, I had my husband stop by Costco to pick up a few things. He came home with what was on the list and this gigantic cheese bread to which I said, “What’s that for?” He said, “I have no idea but it looked good.” LOL. OK, so this may or may not be the reason why I do the majority of our grocery shopping.

The next day after school my son excitedly said, “Mommy, we played this pizza game where you put frogs on top. But please don’t make that for supper because that would just be gross.” Of course, immediately I start thinking how I can make frog pizza. The only thing I had on hand that was green was spinach but I figured it could somehow be configured into a frog. I ripped some spinach leaves in half for the legs and used one bigger leaf for the body. And of course one of the main features of a frog is their eyes.

So I balled up some shredded mozzarella and topped each with a slice of black olive. And presto, we have frogs on a “pizza.” (which was really just cheese bread.) Here’s what it ended up looking like:

I just put them in the oven at 425 degrees just long enough to heat everything up. Midway through, I had to re-apply an eyeball as it slid off. So make sure that your “eyes” are rounded, yet still flat enough to stay on. For my husband’s, I hid some pepperoni under the sauce and added more cheese. It kind of created a hidden frog so it turned out OK. His looked like this:

The kids loved these and going forward, I might make them on English Muffins for a quick lunch or on some real homemade dough for a true pizza–one that’s a little healthier than the cheese bread! I’m thinking that I’ll have to cook the dough first and then put on the toppings and heat them up, as I fear that the spinach will wilt too much if subjected to too much heat.

Of course, once your stomach settles, you’ll have to hop around because you now have a frog stuck in your belly. 🙂

Just thought I’d share our silliness in case you were looking for a fun dinner/lunch with the kids. If you are looking for a book to pair with your dinner, you can try Frog in the Kitchen Sink. In the middle of the book are rolling eyes and my kids have always loved this one. You might be able to see if your library has it.

You can make your own Homemade Muddy Buddies with this recipe: Note: I usually use Crispix Cereal, but you can also use Chex Cereal:

1) Melt together 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 stick of butter in a medium saucepan. You’ll have to stir frequently or it will burn on you quick. I’d recommend keeping it on a low to medium heat.

2) Once melted, pour over Crispix cereal. (1-12oz. box) Stir the cereal mixture (gently or you’ll break them) until all the cereal is covered.

3) Immediately put it into a brown paper bag that’s been filled with 1/2 bag (1lb.) of powdered sugar. Close up the bag and shake it until the sugar covers the cereal.